"How can we lead our lives... our psychological, physical and social lives... in a way that is not only good for you and me as individuals, but also good for the people for whom we care, among whom we live and work, and for the natural world around us. In short, how can we be the sort of person who makes a really positive difference to whatever we're a part of?"

Sharing the Lessons of a Lifetime aspires to put that question...and the search for some promising answers... far higher on our everyday agenda.

Still in its very earliest stages, the project has three interwoven aims:

In-depth interviews with a range of individuals in many walks of life from around the world, so as to explore how each of us attempts to lead our life and cope with the successes and the setbacks. What are the principles and strategies, skills and experiences, that have helped shape our lives?
These in-depth interviews will help raise the debate of such essential matters by being recorded and broadcast as television and radio documentaries and leading newspaper articles. Soon after, this same material can be made available for download as DVDs and Podcasts from our dedicated website. Individuals inspired by the personal lifestories they see and hear, will be encouraged to create partnerships through posting their own ideas for well-being projects on our forthcoming webpage noticeboard: Team-Up and Trail-Blaze.

Immediately using the lessons from all the available research evidence, to design ever-more effective Insight & Training Workshops for schools and universities, hospices and hospitals, businesses and governments. These foundation programmes offered on an entirely non-profit basis will help world-leading organisations apply the science of well-being in the everyday lives of their people, and so set the standard for excellence. Such on-going pilot studies will be evaluated over the years to help guide innovations in as many other institutions as care to incorporate the lessons.
Through these ‘Training Partnerships’, the Cambridge team will themselves learn a great deal about what works best for folks at the coalface who are tasked with applying the skills of well-being in the most challenging arenas.

Replicating the Sharing the Lessons of a Lifetime initiative in leading universities overseas, so as to create sister projects in as many countries as possible. Working together, these will achieve a 'critical mass' of insights and influence that can profoundly improve the spirit in which life is lived this 21st century.

I have led smaller scale projects with related themes... ...but as with all endeavours, Sharing the Lessons of a Lifetime will only be possible with the caring partnership of dear friends, close allies, and experienced mentors.

I am delighted to have Jo Owen as my probono Project Mentor.
Jo is a social entrepreneur, leadership expert, and best-selling author, (visit www.LeadershipPartnership.com)who amongst his many roles has recently founded the following highly successful charities:
www.TeachFirst.org.uk - which trains and mentors over 250 graduate teachers for work in the most demanding inner-city Secondary Schools that have difficulty filling their posts. Within 5 years, Teach First has become one of the top ten graduate recruiters in the UK.
www.Future-Leaders.org.uk - which develops the leadership skills of the next generation of head-teachers who will serve in the most demanding inner-city schools.

We hope, too, that a small team of influential organizations will rally to the cause.

As a closing thought, here's a quote from the wonderful Professor Robert J. Sternberg of Yale University, the 2004 President of the American Psychological Association.
"As I have gotten older, I have spent more time thinking about the question and less about the answer. Namely, is this a good question to ask in the first place? Why should I or anyone else care about the answer?"